A research team from IBM and Stanford have developed a new, inexpensive method for plastic recycling that could eliminate downcycling, resulting in higher-quality products.
One of the major problems with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, frequently used to make food containers and bottles, is that it hasn't been financially feasible to chemically return the plastic to its original form. Often, the plastic tossed into recycling bins ends up getting downcycled into secondary products like polyester shirts and carpeting.
But researchers from IBM and Stanford have identified a catalyst that can recycle PET at 167 degrees F in an inexpensive ethylene glycol solution. That means PET gets to go to the ball.
The scientists had been researching catalysts for the past decade, originally to find a cheaper way to manufacture plastic insulation for computer chips. They found that a molecule called carbene causes the plastic's organic acid to react with the ethylene glycol and create the same quality PET, according to Technology Review's Katherine Bourzac.
The team's results were recently published in the journal Macromolecules.
So far, they've had success in the lab. Associated Press tech writer Jordan Robertson reports that the team is now planning a larger-scale pilot project in Saudia Arabia and if that goes as planned the method could be ready for the market within five years. The sooner we find a sustainable plan for our plastic trash, the better. I can hear the clock chiming.
Photo: Recycling bins lined up in Cupertino, California. Credit: Peter Kaminski.
Tags: Chemistry, Green Tech, Plastic, Polymers, Recycling
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